‘Omes Are Sustainable Floating Island Homes

As if luxury homes are not enough, now the ultra-rich citizens of the world will be hankering for ‘Omes. Developed as an answer to the issues faced by island owners in Nakheel’s The World project, ‘Omes are essentially floating homes developed by Atoll Floating Islands. The monocoque style homes will typically float between Dubai and The World islands.

The ‘Ome prototype will be 32 meters in diameter. This floating island concept will have a two-deck structure that will house bedrooms as well as living and entertainment spaces. According to Atoll, the first ‘Ome will have five bedrooms, open plan living spaces and even a seawater pool in the center. ‘Ome designer Donald Starkey came up with the floating island concept to deal with the issues of The World island owners. Starkey said, “the ‘Ome provides the infrastructure for the entire island, without the need to break ground.”

One of the big attractions of the ‘Ome will be the self-sustainability factor. The entire design will provide for sustainable power, water and waste management. Photovoltaic cells located on the roof will be creating sufficient energy to run not one, not two, but six homes. That is 30,000 kilowatts of renewable energy, according to estimates by Atoll.

The first ‘Omes will be built in Dubai, but they will be designed for the coastal life. They will of course have to be towed to their final location. Currently, it is estimated that each ‘Ome will cost about $22 million. But these floating islands seem perfectly suited for custom designs. Modifications would affect the final price.